March 16, 2016
21 Writing Tips Found on Twitter
I confess, I like the Twitter approach to writing. It’s pithy, cogent, brief, with headlines that stick. I don’t always believe them, but am often entertained. And the posters–love them.
Getting quickly-consumed tips from Twitter that inspire as I start my daily writing seems to be a natural, especially when Tweeple include images (which I wish I’d do more often). I don’t always believe these tweets, but am often entertained. About once a year, I curate a list of favorite Twitter tips. Here’s what it looks like so far this year:
- To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.
- When you’re writing, write
- As part of my editing process I read aloud my manuscript. What a telling experience. (This is one of the most common tips: Read your mss aloud. It’s a sea-change from reading it silently.)
- Note to thriller writers on Twitter: Don’t worry, you’ll get followed: By the NSA. Because of your Google searches.
- Rituals are a good signal to your unconscious that it is time to kick in.
- Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer. –Kurt Vonnegut
- Show up and stay present (another reminding us that when we sit down to write, don’t get distracted)
- If it sounds like writing, I rewrite. –Elmore Leonard
- Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on the glass. –Anton Chekhov (I’d forgotten this one. It’s a keeper–and so true)
- Never use a long word when a short one will do. –George Orwell
- You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write. –Saul Bellow
- Finding an agent is as unlikely as a bus hitting you in the shower while being attacked by a shark. And still, we write.
- First person POV might be the easiest for beginners.
- If you’re a beginner, be kind to yourself.
- Love the process of writing. Or quit.
- The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.
- To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard. –Allen Ginsberg
- Waiting until you feel like writing is like waiting for a train at an abandoned station.
- Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk. –Thoreau (OK, not so much advice as funny.)
- Your writing should be more feral and less domesticated.
- There’s a certain peace in knowing your place in the writing universe. Find it.
More on Twitter and writing:
15 Tips Picked Up From Twitter
27 More (Writing) Tips From Twitter
21 Tips About Writing From Twitter
12 ways Twitter Makes You a Better Writer (and Person)
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman
